Mooresville, NC (June 30, 2013) - The Kentucky Speedway NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekend was extended a day when the rain, which had plagued the weekend, washed out any hopes of racing on Saturday night. The 400.5-mile race was rescheduled to start at noon Eastern, on Sunday. Casey Mears rolled off the starting grid in the 31st position in the No. 13 Valvoline NextGen Ford Fusion entry of Germain Racing, and gathered another top-20 finish when the checkered flag waved.

“We didn’t get what we needed from the Valvoline NextGen Ford Fusion in qualifying,” said Mears, who’s competitive nature was evident in talking about the car’s performance throughout the 267-lap even. “I think our chassis setup would have been strong for night racing. It was amazing, when I’d get a bit of a cloud cover, I could make things happen on the track. But for Sunday afternoon racing, we still have some work to do to improve our race car.”

Mears finished 18th on Sunday afternoon, in front of a very persistent and enthusiastic Kentucky Speedway crowd.

“The Kentucky Speedway race fans are incredible. So many of them stayed last night to see if we could get a break between storms to get the race in, and so many fans came back today. It’s great to see such a big turnout, particularly in the backyard of Valvoline,” said Mears.

With 70 laps to go, crew chief Bootie Barker told Mears weather should not be an issue through the race’s end on Sunday afternoon. Barker was right.

Mears ran in the top-20 for most of the 267 laps. The Germain Racing pit crew kept him in contention on pit road, even with four-tire pit stops against others taking two tires or fuel-only. Mears finished 18th and is looking ahead to next weekend’s trip to Daytona Beach, FL.

The next race for the No. 13 will see Casey Mears back in familiar GEICO livery, behind the wheel of the GEICO Ford Fusion at Daytona International Speedway for 160 laps in Saturday’s Coke Zero 400. Watch the action on July 6th on TNT at 7:30 PM or tune into MRN/SiriusXM radio.

About Valvoline

Valvoline, a brand of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH), has been serving American motorists longer than any other motor oil. In addition to commercial and industrial lubricants, the Valvoline family of products includes Eagle One™ appearance products, Car Brite™ car restoration products, Zerex™ antifreeze, SynPower™ performance products, MaxLife™ products created for higher-mileage engines and NextGen™ motor oil created with 50 percent recycled oil. With approximately 900 locations throughout the United States, Valvoline Instant Oil ChangeSM service centers are a leader in serving the quick lube market.

Follow Germain Racing on Twitter @GermainRacing or on the web at Germainracing.com and keep up with driver Casey Mears @CJMearsgang.

To learn more about the GEICO Racing program, please visit: www.caseymearsracing.com. You can also follow GEICO Racing on Twitter: www.twitter.com/geicoracing. Please visit the Casey Mears Facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/caseymearsracing.

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About Germain Racing

Germain Racing team owner Bob Germain Jr. is passionate about racing in NASCAR’s highest ranks. He and his brothers, Steve and Rick, established the racing team in 2004 and Bob is thrilled to see the team’s progression to competing each week in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.